John Hlophe to officially represent Parliament on the JSC
Hlophe heads to the JSC after the National Assembly passed a motion in lieu of the party nominating him.
MK Party chief whip John Hlophe speaks to the media after being sworn in as an MP on 25 June 2024. Picture: Lindsay Dentlinger/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - Impeached Judge President John Hlophe has officially been nominated to serve on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
He heads to the commission after the National Assembly passed a motion which included Hlophe after his party nominated him to serve on the body.
But this was not before the Democratic Alliance (DA), Freedom Front (FF) Plus and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) objected to the motion, citing Hlophe's impeachment as a judge by the very assembly.
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Hlophe will join the likes of DA MP Glynis Breytenbach and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema on the JSC, which oversees the code of judicial conduct.
The Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party parliamentary leader’s nomination was initially delayed after the African National Congress (ANC) withdrew its original motion last week for further discussions.
‘HUGE JUSTICE TO THE HOUSE’
Hlophe is now not only a member of the same assembly that impeached him, he also heads to the same JSC that investigated him before his ultimate impeachment.
DA chief whip George Michalakis said it was neither rational nor reasonable to nominate Hlophe as his party opposed the nomination.
“The finding of gross misconduct renders him unfit to serve on a body that is to determine the fitness and propriety of others.”
But MK Party whip Sihle Ngubane said nothing in the rules precluded Hlophe and that Parliament could learn from him.
“The MK P has done huge justice to the house to bring to the law-making house a PhD graduate with law.”
While the DA and other parties opposed the nomination, the African Transformation Movement (ATM), Al Jama-ah, and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) all threw their support behind the nomination.